Dalmatia—where the sea is bluer, the olives are tastier, and life just seems a little more laid-back. But beyond the postcard-perfect beaches and historic towns, this coastal gem hides some quirky curiosities that might just surprise you! From ancient traditions that still puzzle the locals to island dialects that sound like they’ve been made up on the spot, Dalmatia is full of charming oddities. Get ready to dive into a world where the only thing more intriguing than the landscape are the stories behind it!
Bikla
Bikla is an alcoholic drink which is well-known in Dalmatia, both in the hinterland and on the islands. It is made by mixing red wine and milk, usually in equal parts. Bikla can be made with either goat or cow milk. Its colour ranges from lighter to darker shades of purple, depending on the quantity of the red wine used. It is made at any time of year, but for medicinal purposes only. It is administered to a person suffering from a mild illness.
Zvončari
Although the bell-ringing tradition in the Kvarner region (like many other traditions in today’s world) has been “commercialized”, it actually goes deep into local history as a multifaceted and layered, one even might say mysterious custom. Seen from a regional perspective, today’s ethnologists believe that this tradition represented the expulsion of “evil forces”, but also a kind of contact with ancestors. The bells and frightening behavior were supposed to drive away threats to the betterment of the field, cattle and people, while certain symbols carried in hand invoked fertility. Today, the bell-ringers represent pure carnival amusement, or a little small-community quirkiness on the Kvarner coast, thus presenting the tradition of their ancestors in public, but also keeping it within the local communities.
World`s oldest vine
Quite unexpectedly, in the very center of Maribor in Slovenia, leaning against a part of the medieval city walls turned into a museum, the oldest vine in the world grows. The variety that this 400-year-old gives is locally called Žametovka or Modra Kavčina, known for providing clear red wines. This tough old lady survived the Ottoman-Austrian wars and the invasion of Napoleon, the disease of the grapevine – phylloxera, and both world wars. The harvest of this vine yields about 25 liters of wine that, throughout history, Slovenian officials have donated to various dignitaries, from the Japanese Emperor Akihito, through Pope Benedict XVI to the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Mediterranean Cuisine
The Mediterranean diet consists of a set of skills, knowledge and practices that link the landscape with the dining table, including the method of growing crops, harvesting, fishing, food preservation, its processing and preparation, and sometimes the pattern of consumption. (Source: wikipedia) So it’s more than just food. It brings people together and nourishes habits and customs, thus forming a cultural identity of the region and the man. While sharing food, people sang and exchanged wisdom, and it served as the foundation around which various traditions and legends were preserved and developed. With its beneficial properties, the Mediterranean cuisine offers a well-balanced gastronomic delight, because virtually its only fat comes from the olive tree which provides an abundance of positive effects on human health… It is just as important to mention that the benefits of Mediterranean cuisine have been recognised by UNESCO and included on its list of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Roman Emperors Augustus and Diocletian
These two emperors, considered by many as the most significant Roman emperors, played a crucial part in the history of Dalmatia, one as its founder, and the other as its heir. After several wars, the first Roman emperor Augustus, whose full name is Caius Iulius Caesar Octavianus, finally managed to conquer the Illyrian tribe of Delmatae in the year 9 AD, occupying their land and founding the Roman province of Dalmatia with the capital of Salona. The emperor Diocletian, on the other hand, was important not only for his Dalmatian origin, but also for having constructed a grandiose palace in 305 AD, which was the core of the present-day city of Split, the capital of the region and the second largest city in the Republic of Croatia.
Cricket on Vis
On the island of Vis, cricket has been played since 1809: it was first introduced by Sir William Hoste, an officer of the British Royal Navy known as the Young Nelson, famous for his historical victory in the last sailing ships battle against a considerab ly superior Napoleon’s fleet. Two hundred years later, Oliver Roki, a winemaker and restaurant owner from the island of Vis, picked up where Sir Hoste had left off, which is why cricket is played again today in the island of Vis, in Plisko Field near the WW2 British airport, in the club named after the famous captain.
Stećci
Stećci are monolithic stone blocks, horizontal or vertical tombstones from the 14th and 15th century, characteristic for Dalmatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, parts of Montenegro, west Serbia and Kosovo. Stećci cannot be found anywhere outside this territory. Most scientists agree that these monuments belonged to the Vlachs. The Vlachs were a nomadic tribe, probably of Illyrian origin, who were cattle breeders and often also merchants and mercenaries. The area around the town of Imotski particularly abounds in stećci. These roughly and somewhat unskilfully carved tombstones, these monumental stone blocks, have found their place in the past of the Imotski Region, testifying to the literacy, culture, faith, and power of this area.
Katuni
One word that, by its use, unites almost all the countries of the Balkan Peninsula to this day. It probably comes from the Romanian word cătun, standing for hamlet, or Albanian katund, which means village or a region. In Montenegro, Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia, the Katun is still used today as a temporary pastoral settlement, some of which have become permanent settlements. The Katuns were also called organized rural municipalities in the old Croatian parishes, mainly in Village Principality (Poljica). At the head of the Katun was the head of the village – a katunar, who had administrative and judicial powers. Katun is a small and inconspicuous, but concise word that indirectly speaks of the meaninglessness of vain conflicts over the cultural identity of an ethnos.
Illyrian Hill-Forts
Hill-forts are the most important remains of the Illyrian material culture. The Illyrians erected their hill-forts in natural elevations which were difficult to access and easily defensible against the enemies. The economic factor was an important element in the selection of the location in which they were built. Hill-forts were constructed next to fertile plains on which agriculture could be developed. Ideally, somewhere in the vicinity there would have been a river, for the purpose of irrigation and defence of the borough. The hill-forts were also fortified with walls. Oftentimes, a tower was erected next to the main gate for a better protection of the borough. The buildings were made of dry-stone walls until the arrival of the Romans. That is when the Illyrians begun to use mortar.
Pagania
The Principality of Neretva (10th century) was an Early Croatian state occupying the territory between the rivers Cetina and Neretva. Unlike its neighbouring lands, a pagan, non-Christian religion was predominant among the people of this highly isolated state due to a belief that Christianity was a tool of oppression. Thus, the Croats who lived in this territory were called “the Pagans”, and the land was named “Poganska” (Latin: Pagania). The inhabitants were predominantly fishermen and fig and olive growers. However, the most lucrative business was piracy.
